Teacher Led Interactive Whiteboard

What it is: Teacher Led IWB is a collection of resources for use with an interactive whiteboard.  This is an outstanding collection of 46 math tools and games, 3 geography maps and map makers, 6 English tools and games, and two multipurpose games.  The collection is visually appealing and helps teach key concepts visually in each content area.  There are too many great resources to go in depth here, I recommend heading over to Teacher Led IWB and taking a look right now!

How to integrate Teacher Led IWB into the classroom:  This collection is VERY impressive.  The tools and games are perfect for whole class instruction and practice in math, geography, language arts, and creating custom activities for other subjects.  Most of the tools are designed for the elementary classroom but there are some that can be used in middle school as well.  

 

Tips: If you have an interactive whiteboard, go to Teacher Led now and check out these awesome resources!  

 

 

Leave a comment and tell us which of the Teacher Led resources you have used in your classroom.

Literactive

What it is: Literactive is an outstanding website for reading material for pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade.  The program is made up of leveled guided readers, comprehensive phonics activities, and supplemental reading material that is aimed at developing reading skills in a sequential, motivating manner.  To use and view the site is free.  To download material you are required to register but registration is also free.  The guided readers are fully animated and each comes with a breakdown of every word in the stories.  The Road to Reading is an interactive journey for students that moves them sequentially though pre-reading activities, alphabet awareness, letter sounds, short vowels, CVC word blending, initial blends, long vowels, and various phonic activities.  There are over one hundred learning activities that can be used for individual or whole class use that can be downloaded for free.  Worksheets are available in pdf format that correlate with each reading skill.  An ESL version is offered for each guided reader, stories can be translated with the click of a mouse.  E-picture books tell traditional tales for early readers and e poetry is a collection of interactive poetry including poems by Rober Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allen Poe, Edward Lear, and more.  The Literactive website is packed full with reading activities for primary students that will have them on the road to reading!  

 

How to integrate Literactive into the classroom:  Literactive is a complete reading program that should be included in any primary classroom.  I am amazed at the comprehensive list of activities, stories, and scope and sequence of this program.  Because activities are downloaded, after having downloaded them your computer does not need an Internet connection to use them.  Use Literactive as a daily reading center, individually in the computer lab setting, or for whole class instruction and reading.  The activities on Literactive are highly motivating and provide an excellent foundation for reading.  

 

Tips: Register for free today and transform your classroom into a reading-rich environment for your beginning readers!  Thank you to @annemarie80 who sent a Tweet about this site!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Literactive in your classroom.

Ology

 

What it is:  Ology is an outstanding free website from the American Museum of Natural History where students can learn about archaeology, astronomy, biodiversity, earth, Einstein, genetics, marine biology, water, and paleontology.  The site is user friendly for kids and has an attractive interface that students will enjoy.  Each subject has polls, inside stories on the subject, experiments, book lists of related books, interactive games and activities, “make it” ideas, interviews, a snapshot of scientists at work, and more.  

 

How to integrate Ology into the classroom:   I like to uses sites like Ology for scavenger hunts.  I give students a list of facts that I want them to find while exploring the website and have them take part in a virtual scavenger hunt following the clues.  Activities like this build research skills.  This is a great site for using in any science class.  The online reading is wonderful and the suggestion for books related to the subject is a nice addition.  Students can explore the site during science and share what they learn with the class.  The experiments and make it ideas would be fun to learn about and create as a class.  Ology is an excellent addition to any science class!

 

Tips: Does your school hold an annual science fair?  Share this site with parents for suggestion of science experiments and as a launching point.  

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Ology in your classroom.

Grammar Games

 

What it is:  The British Council has created an A-Z website of 69 Grammar
Games
to help students learn and practice English grammar rules.  I wouldn’t characterize many of the activities “games” but instead interactive practice.  The Grammar Game website provides students with a quality explanation of each grammar rule and then gives them an activity where they can practice applying those rules.  I think you will be hard pressed to find a grammar rule that was left off this site.  As I was browsing through the Grammar Games site, I found many rules that I don’t recall being taught but knowing them would have been (is) helpful!

 

How to integrate Grammar Games into the classroom:   Use the Grammar Game website as a place for your students to practice grammar rules they are learning in the classroom.  You could also assign each student in your class a different grammar rule.  Students can use Grammar Games to learn about the rule, practice the rule, and then teach the rule to other students.  This is a great place for students to explore and interact with.  Use a projector to introduce a new grammar rule to your students each day or at the beginning of each week.  Students can practice the grammar rule with the activity that accompanies that rule on the classroom computers throughout the week.  

 

Tips: Bookmark this page on your classroom and library computers so students can use it as reference during writing.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Grammar Games  in your classroom.

Spelling Wizard

 

 

What it is: The Spelling Wizard gives students two cool ways to memorize their spelling words. First students type in 10 spelling words, then they choose between two fun games. In Spelling Scramble students unscramble letters to practice their spelling words. In Make a Word Search students hunt for their spelling words in a word search to practice their words.

How to integrate Spelling Wizard into the classroom: Set up computers as a study center where students can practice their spelling words. This site would be great for use as an “I’m finished, now what?” activity.

Tips: Remind students that the words HAVE to be spelled correctly, otherwise they will practice their words incorrectly.

 

 

Bite Size Reading

What it is: Bite Size Reading is part of BBC Schools. Bite Size Reading includes online deduction, dictionary, non-fiction, and poetry activities and quizzes.

How to integrate Bite Size Reading into your reading curriculum: Use the corresponding online lessons and worksheets during your reading time. Set up the Bite Size Reading site as a center that students visit as part of their reading lesson.

Tips: You can embed activities right on your website or blog with the code provided!

 

 

Spellits

 

What it is: Spellits is designed for 7-11 year olds, this website offers interactive activities and printable resources which teach spelling strategies, rules, and patterns. The spelling activities are integrated into three games, making spelling practice and learning fun.

How to integrate Spellits into your language arts curriculum: Use Spellits to improve student spelling. Students will easily be able to work independently through the activities, there are support functions built right into the site such as a dictionary and clue list. Set up Spellits as a center during literacy or spelling time. Students can use Spellits to help build a word wall in the classroom.

Tips: This is a British site so some of the words are spelled slightly differently (ex. colour).